Ten Interesting Wedding Traditions From Around the World.

Cuba – The Money Dance

It is a Cuban custom that every man who dances with the bride on her wedding day must pin money to her dress. This helps the couple pay for their wedding and honeymoon.

Venezuela – Disappearing Newlyweds

In Venezuela, it is considered good luck for the newlyweds to sneak away before the party ends without getting caught. It is also good luck for whichever guest catches on that they’re gone. 

Congo – No Smiling on the Wedding Day

While most newlyweds brim with excitement and anticipation, Congolese couples must keep their happiness in check. During their entire wedding day, the two are not allowed to smile. If they do, it would mean they aren’t serious about the marriage.

Sweden – Stealing Kisses

In Sweden, whenever the bride leaves the table, all the ladies at the reception are free to steal a kiss from the groom. And when the groom leaves the room, all the men are free to plant a peck on the bride. 

Hungary – Menyecske Ruha

At a Hungarian wedding, you might find the bride wearing red later in the evening. According to tradition, the bride will change into a new dress at midnight – called a menyecske ruha – known as the “new wife dress”. It is meant to symbolise that the bride is now officially married.

Romania – Stealing the Bride

Before the wedding, friends of the couple playfully “abduct” the bride, whisking her away to an undisclosed location. They then return to the groom with the bride’s shoe as proof of her kidnapping, and demand a “ransom” from the groom for her safe return. Typical ransom requests include: bottles of alcohol, or for the groom to do something embarrassing, like sing a song or perform a dance in front of the entire wedding party.

Russia – Karavay

Newly married Russian couples share a wedding sweetbread, called a “karavey”, decorated with wheat (for prosperity) and interlocking rings (for faithfulness). Whoever takes the biggest bite, without using their hands, is considered the head of the family.

India – Joota Chupai

On the day of the wedding, in a ritual called ‘Joota Chupai’, an Indian bride’s mischievous sisters and female cousins make off with the groom’s shoes and demand ransom money for their safe return. 

South Korea – Falaka Ceremony

In a Falaka ceremony, the groom’s friends and family hold him down as they beat the bottoms of his feet with a stick or dried fish, while asking him trivia questions. This custom is believed to help strengthen his memory and his feet. 

French Polynesia – Human Carpet

Once the wedding has come to an end, the relatives of the bride lay side-by-side, face down on the ground, while the bride and groom walk over them.